INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- The father of a 13-year-old girl who was beaten as she rode home on a school bus wants to know why the driver didn't step in to stop the attack.
Gary Brockman said his daughter, Jamie, was attacked by another female student as they rode home from Bridger Elementary in the Independence School District last Friday. A cellphone video taken by a fellow student captured the fight.
The attack starts with a couple slaps, and Jamie can be heard saying, "I don't want to fight." After that, the girl hits Jamie for 11 more seconds as other students can be heard yelling to cover up the cameras.
"When something like this happens, it makes you feel helpless," Brockman said.
KMBC's Donna Pitman contacted the Independence School District to get their response to the beating. Independence School District spokeswoman Nancy Lewis said she couldn't talk about the incident because of privacy issues, but she did issue this statement: "It is the responsibility of the bus driver to maintain the safety of all students on the bus and exercise good judgement and caution in doing so ... not just the safety of the two students involved in the fight, but the safety of all students."
Gary Brockman said his daughter, Jamie, was attacked by another female student as they rode home from Bridger Elementary in the Independence School District last Friday. A cellphone video taken by a fellow student captured the fight.
The attack starts with a couple slaps, and Jamie can be heard saying, "I don't want to fight." After that, the girl hits Jamie for 11 more seconds as other students can be heard yelling to cover up the cameras.
"When something like this happens, it makes you feel helpless," Brockman said.
KMBC's Donna Pitman contacted the Independence School District to get their response to the beating. Independence School District spokeswoman Nancy Lewis said she couldn't talk about the incident because of privacy issues, but she did issue this statement: "It is the responsibility of the bus driver to maintain the safety of all students on the bus and exercise good judgement and caution in doing so ... not just the safety of the two students involved in the fight, but the safety of all students."